Dark and stormy night…

Ok, so it wasn’t stormy, but it was definitely dark… After three weeks in the US, where I traveled to LA, Las Vegas and NYC, I was so happy to be back in Costa Rica. I’d road-tripped, gone to two weddings, stayed with friends, stumbled home to my hotel room in a humungous casino, gone to up to six meetings a day in Manhattan, over-nighted in New Jersey, met up with family… Let me tell you, when I stepped off that plane and was whacked by stifling heat and the burning sun, there was no wiping the goofy grin off my face. I could finally relax.

That night, the barrio got together for a little welcome home dinner (am I lucky or what?). Just as we were finishing up Kelsey‘s amazing Mexican lasagna, my good night’s sleep disintegrated before my very eyes.

Both the water and electricity were out — and I was getting ready for my very first night in my brand-new house! As we all know, I’m not exactly the bravest soul. And I’ve never lived in a home that was too big to case out the entire place in one second, in the case of a strange noise, or easily scream for my neighbors. I was unnerved. And since I had barely started moving in, I had no idea where any candles or flashlights might be hiding.

Kelsey loaned me a flashlight and a candle, and Ana and Alex kindly walked me home. What would’ve happened if I’d been unpacking home alone when everything went dark?! My friends very patiently walked through every room in the house, humoring my hunt for ghosts or bad guys or I don’t know what. They left, and I got used to being in the dark by myself and not jumping every single time one of the house’s gorgeous wooden doors creaked. But I knew I had no prayer of sleep. About five minutes later, the lights came back on, and I was saved.

The next morning, I stepped outside to blue skies, fluffy clouds, trees bursting with bright flowers, all spookiness gone.

Welcome back darling!!! Glad your electricity came back on, though I’m proud of you for going ahead and still trying to face your fear. Can’t wait to catch up on Skype soon. Leaving for Brasil tonight, wish me luck. 🙂